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Tuesday, April 22, 2014

It is beyond time to wake up this blog!! Exciting things have been taking place around here. I am now running my own successful Hand Stamping business over at Hand Stampin' Mama and I just got an embroidery machine ... so I am taking orders for that as well!

Along with the kids getting older and life getting busier in general ... I have decided to add more adventures to my crafting life. So ... stay tuned ... great things are going to be popping up all over the place! Make sure to follow my 2 Etsy stores, my Facebook pages and of course ... this BLOG (where I will post about about all of the crafts). I will post the links below.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

FINALLY! I got something done! Today was a wonderful Saturday. Hubbs woke up early to go to the gym and since Baby K loves to go "bye-bye" ... he took her with him! Thank goodness for childcare.
Our two bigger girls have mastered the art of sleeping in so that also is a big plus!
After Hubbs and Baby K left, I suddenly had a spurt of energy ... and I wanted to ... CLEAN! Oh man, I am such an old person. When I get in the cleaning mood, wonderful things happen. My bathroom was scoured and cleaned. And not just wiping off the counters and cleaning around the toilet. I emptied drawers, underneath cabinets, organized everything in sight and threw away tons of old bottles and garbage. What a wonderful feeling.
Once the bathroom was sparkling, I moved on to the closet and the rest of my bedroom. Thank goodness I also sell Scentsy because what is a clean bedroom without the yummy smell of Satin Sheets filling the air.
I think Hubbs was in shock when he got home. He was probably expecting to see me still fast asleep, but NOPE! Instead he heard my 90s station blasting on Pandora and a surprisingly energetic wife dancing and singing. (at least I had put down my toilet bowl brush microphone)
Whatever was running through me, must have gotten him also. As soon as he got in, he started cleaning up the kitchen and jumped right in on cleaning. All this is very out of character for this house - especially since he usually works on Saturday. I could get used to having him around. My goal for today, before sitting down to crochet, was to clean our bedroom and bathroom and the kitchen. I have him fooled though. He mentioned "Wow, I didn't know this was how Saturday mornings go! Maybe I should stay at work!" Please don't, Babe. It really was nice having you home all day.
The highlight of my day came at dinner time. Hubbs and I had been making up a grocery list for our Saturday evening "date". Hey, I told you we were getting old! Anyway, he told me that instead of us going together, he was going to take the girls so I could have the house to myself for an hour or so. (I adventured to the Science Center last night with all 3 so he could relax after work so he wanted to return the favor!) WHAT?!?!!? Seriously, should I look outside and see if the sky is falling? He is too awesome! But, once I looked at the list and realized some of the things I needed (like almond bark and chopped green chillies) were not normally on the list ... guiding him to them might take longer than me just going. Plus, I needed to get out of the house. We left the big two at home (Jordyn was still napping) and took Little Bean with us. And, that was our exciting night! I told you we were getting old!

Here are some pictures of the hat I finished today:

Here are some fun pictures from the Science Center last night. We are really lucky to live so close to an amazing city that offers such cool stuff FOR FREE!!!

Jordyn would not go anywhere near this big dinosaur. They move their heads around and roar ... I don't blame her. Kynslee was in awe.

Jordyn agreed to stand next to the one laying on the ground that just sort of moans and twitches a foot. But, she never took her eyes off the big one!

Kynslee was laughing HYSTERICALLY at this platform city. You balance the city with buildings and cars and trees so it stays level. She had just pushed on one side and knocked the whole city down the hole.

Jordyn was not so amused that Kynslee had dumped the whole city!

Of course we had to visit the museum gift shop. Kynslee loved these little monsters. They giggle and make obnoxious sounds ... seems appropriate that she emptied the bottom shelf of 3 of them so she could sit down among them. BABY FOR SALE!

Friday, February 1, 2013

I finally did it! I finished a project I started this week!! I kept getting side tracked and doing other things. But, I finished some hats!

We are pretty big Cardinals fans and go to games all season! (Hubbs even bought me a 5-ticket-pack for Christmas- although, I think he is planning on going along since he got 2 tickets to each game!) This past week, I was brainstorming hat ideas and thinking of ways to incorporate STL into my pattern ... but he came up with this MUCH easier way of making Cardinals gear. Embroidered patches!!

I love how when something seems difficult, he finds me an easy solution! He is the best! The pattern I was already working on was one I found on Ravelry. It just so happened to be a newsboy hat which works PERFECTLY with a baseball theme! So excited to make more with different colors and styles. Thank goodness Mike ordered 5 of each patch ... he was expecting some production!

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Sorry to those who have joined to see updates on crafts. That is just not happening this week! But, that is the joy of staying home with my Littlest Bean. We ran the bigger beans to Orthodontist and Eye appointments this morning and had fun playing at home with a friend all afternoon. Once the house got quiet and empty, naturally, Baby K woke up from her nap and was ready to .... snuggle!

She is not much of a snuggler. When she was teeny, she wanted to be swaddled and rocked all day. I had no problem with that. I loved it. But, once she got mobile ... she was done with the snuggles. We are lucky to even get a KISS from her on most days. If you aren't a stuffed Sesame Street character, or the foot rest or some other inanimate object ... NO KISSES FOR YOU!

I can't complain too much though. She is an extremely good baby. She always has been. She plays so well and doesn't destroy things. She loves to sit and page through books or cook in her kitchen. She isn't a big TV watcher, but she loves to have Elmo on the TV for noise and will often stop whatever she is doing to dance a little "jig" when music plays.

It is because of her awesome personality and independence that I am able to get as many crafts done as I do. With her playing quietly, I can sit down and work on things without too much interruption.

But, days like today, when she wakes up from her nap extra snuggly, I am not about to pass on that. I got her up from nap and gave her some crackers and cheese and came back to the couch to start knitting. She followed close behind and brought me her snack. I thought it was an odd way of telling me she was done, but after pulling her little self up on to the couch and settling almost on top of me ... she reached out and said "cheese". Then, pointed to the TV and said, "Elmo". (Monkey see, Monkey do. I often grab a snack, settle in on the couch and change to a program I want to watch.)

So, that is how we ended our quiet afternoon. Time to pick up the big girls :)

Monday, January 28, 2013

It's true. It isn't always sparkles and glitter around here! Some days are full of TV and naps. That was today.

I have read the blogs. I am on Pinterest. I dream of being the mom that finishes projects that she starts - to PERFECTION. But, it just isn't going to happen. That isn't me. And my therapist said I should be okay with that. Just kidding ... maybe ... :).

Today was a perfect example of that. I woke up and got the girls ready and on the bus as I usually do. I sat Baby K in her high chair with her banana, cereal, and milk. Then, I sat down to my laptop to catch up before she was finished. Then it started. I was sucked in. I started reading a funny article written by another Mom Blogger ... and continued to another ... which lead to another. Then, The Hubbs walked in and caught me at the computer while Baby K giggled with delight as she threw her Fruit Loops to the dog. Whoops, I guess I missed that.

I got up to redeem myself and shooed the dog outside. I got Baby K down and cleaned her up. The Hubbs got in the shower to get ready for the day and I sat down to turn on Sesame Street for Baby K. He finished getting ready and caught me snuggling her on the couch. Baby K isn't much of a snuggler, so I have to catch my moments when I can. As a SAHM, days like this can happen. But, the trick is stopping it quickly before absolutely NOTHING gets done for the day. Lucky for me, today's trick was a dentist appointment.

At the dentist, I had to get two fillings replaced which meant fully numbing the left side of my face. (That was entertainment for all who spoke with me the rest of the day!) The Hubbs went grocery shopping after he dropped me off for my appointment and afterwards we picked up some lunch and met with my Aunt and Uncle who dropped by. After they left, my head was pounding so I took some Aleve and told him I was going to lay down for a few (whoops, there went my productivity). Those few minutes turned to hours ... so thank goodness I never specified which I meant when I warned him of my nap (don't worry, I had a great dream about all sorts of sparkles and glitter!). He continued being amazing and picked up the big girls from the bus and cooked dinner! (We make a great team. When I am extremely unproductive, he is an overachiever!).

J had gymnastics after dinner so that meant getting NOTHING done around the house! Every time I passed the family room, my knitting projects called out to me ... but I had to decline the invite. (Declining the invite to fold the laundry was much easier!)

After all the girls were in bed, I met up with another friend. Some of you may know him, his name is Adam Puchte. He is extremely convincing when you need to shush those inner voices that keep telling you to do something. Here is a picture of Adam at my house:

So, we can all figure out how much was done around here after Adam and I hung out. And now I can truly say these words, "I am ok with that". Haha.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

This weekend Kaelyn and I dug out the paracord that she got for Christmas and finally decided to make some bracelets!

If you don't know what paracord is here is the Wikipedia explanation: Parachute cord (also paracord of 550 cord) is a lightweight nylon kernmantle rope originally used in the suspension lines of US parachutes during WWII. Once in the field, paratroopers found this cord useful for many other tasks.
These bracelets have been pretty popular and you can find them all over the place. We have bought quite a few, but being the crafty person that I am ... I just had to make some myself. Thank goodness that Santa brought Kaelyn some cord and some buckles so we were set.

Paracord comes in fantastic colors, and of course we have all kinds of pinks! Our cord didn't come with any instructions, so thankfully, I survive off of YouTube instructional videos. We found some great videos by Chaotic Thinking and followed along. We made the basic one color paracord bracelet as well as the Solomons Heart.

Hope you enjoy my photos, and if you make some of your own, please send me pics! If you would like to purchase them, you can check out my Facebook site and place an order there!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

The house is so incredibly quiet today! How amazing! It is almost TOO quiet at times. The big girls were off school for 4 days in a row. I love having them home. But, OH am I glad when they go back to school. I like having time to miss them through the day. It makes evenings so much easier! They are such good girls, they really are. But, they are sisters, and they have a love/hate relationship. So, after 4 days of breaking up arguments and wiping tears ... today has been a nice break. Now, I am ready for them to be home.

Oh well. On to my own stuff. I am trying to make a baby sweater. I have tried and started so many times. Then, I give up and work on a different project and finish it. HA! But, this sweater is haunting me, I am challenging myself to complete it! If I can only get past the first round.

This is how far I have gotten:

So, basically, it is the cast-on ... and half of the first row. I am supposed to cast on 41. Done. Row 1: knit one, purl one ribbing all the way across. Ok. Sounds easy enough. I have watched countless videos, I understand what I am supposed to do, but it turns in to a great ball of craziness. What is my problem? Ughg, back to the grind and struggle. I WILL CONQUER ROUND 1!